


Calling All the Monsters

by 0bviousLeigh



Series: Calling all the Monsters [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V, Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: Character Death, M/M, Mythology - Freeform, exploration of the afterlife, fantastical creature AU, non-binary Astral
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-06
Updated: 2016-10-23
Packaged: 2018-08-19 23:26:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8228333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0bviousLeigh/pseuds/0bviousLeigh
Summary: From the darkness came voices. Whispers at first, too soft to be heard. The whispers became murmurs, which became cries, which became screams. The soul felt itself spinning in the darkness, confused by all the noise. Suddenly, there was silence.A new voice whispered, “I give you new life.”Yuma and his sister are reincarnated into the Underworld, and while Akari adjusts quickly, Yuma has a much harder time of it.





	1. The Ghoul Kids

**Author's Note:**

> I’m not an expert on mythology. My goal with this story was not to paint a portrait of the underworld as it was believed to have been hundreds of years ago, or as people may think of it today. My goal was to take mythological creatures, remix them with Zexal characters, and make something new. In a lot of cases, I couldn’t find a lot of English resources for what I wanted to write about. I hope you enjoy the story, but please don’t think of these characters as the sole representative of actual mythological figures.
> 
> I was inspired to write this series after hearing the song "Calling all the Monsters" by China Anne McClain, and I listened to it after seeing that the user 'gimmickyugo' on YouTube was hosting a MEP for it. 
> 
> I was also inspired by the song/concept of 'Monster High'
> 
> go here for more info about characters/helpful links: http://rainbow-galaxy-supernova.tumblr.com/post/151446863386/characters-and-links-for-my-new-zexal-fic

First, there was the pain of death. Then, there was pure agony of a soul in torment. Without a body, the soul was subjected to the harsh elements of the world. It was burned, scraped, and broken. Finally, the soul was engulfed in darkness.

Then, from the darkness came voices. Whispers at first, too soft to be heard, and then over them, a booming voice called out.

**“Taken unjustly from the world.”**

The whispers echoed, “ _Taken unjustly._ ”

The booming voice said, **“A life that was cut short, before his time.”**

The whispers began to speak louder, saying “ _Cut short,_ ” and, “ _Before his time._ ”

The booming voice began to repeat itself. **“Taken unjustly!”**

The whispers echoed, “ _Taken unjustly._ ”

**“Before his time!”**

“ _Before his time._ ”

The whispers became murmurs, which became cries, which became screams. The soul felt itself spinning in the darkness, confused by all the noise. Suddenly, there was silence.

A new voice whispered, “ _I give you new life._ ”

There was a blinding flash of white light and—

 

Yuma falls to the floor, a shout stuck in his throat, sweat beading on his forehead.

“DAMN IT ALL!” Yuma cries, trying to kick his legs free of his hammock. He’s had this nightmare since he became a Shikigame, and he’s pretty sure he’s remembering the moment his soul was reincarnated as an undead.

“What the heck?” Akari calls.

Yuma finally frees himself from the hammock and stands up. “I fell out of bed, I’m fine!” Yuma yells. He looks at the clock. He’s up on time for a change.

Yuma gathers his school things and dresses in his uniform. It seems unfair to him that even in death, he’s expected to be a contributing member of society.

“Nightmare again?” Akari asks as Yuma enters the kitchen.

“Yup,” Yuma answers, helping himself to some fruit.

“Ask your teacher for a spell,” Akari says.

Yuma rolls his eyes. “Yeah right, I’ll probably mess it up and make things worse.”

Akari says, “Someday you’re going to have to actually get something right. You know that, don’t you?”

Yuma sticks his tongue out at her. “We can’t all be dead prodigies like you.”

Despite having only been in training for two years, Akari has already passed her first-level shikigami exams and has been allowed to do some part-time work for a low level Onmyōji.

Akari flicks Yuma’s ear. “Just try, will ya?”

Yuma mutters that he will and runs out the door before Akari can say anything else to him.

The underworld is awash in the grey light of dawn, soon the streets will be full of souls bustling along through the heart of the city. Already Yuma can see beings like himself preparing to start their day.

“Yuma!”

Yuma turns and waves to his friend Tetsuo, and yelps as he suddenly grows to twice his height. “Really?!”

Tetsuo laughs and shrinks to his normal size, still a good three heads taller than Yuma. “C’mon, it’s just natural!”

“You don’t have to do it all the time,” Yuma whines.

Tetsuo pats Yuma’s head. “You could do it too, you know.”

Yuma shrugs him off. “Race you to the fountain! AND NO CHEATING!”

But of course, Tetsuo cheats anyway, springing to three times his height and winning the race by a landslide. Yuma berates him for it and is still yelling when Rio and Ryoga pop out of the fountain.

“I don’t need this first thing in the morning,” Ryoga says, splashing both Yuma and Tetsuo as he climbs out of the fountain.

“Tetsuo cheated in our race again,” Yuma says.

“Then why do you keep challenging him?” Ryoga asks.

Tetsuo ignores them both and extends his hand to Rio. “How’s the water today?”

Rio accepts Tetsuo’s hand and heaves herself out of the fountain, her legs still covered in scales. “A little choppy,” Rio says, wringing water from her hair. “Can’t understand why, it’s such a nice day.”

“It’s because Ryoga is in a bad mood,” Yuma says.

“I’m always in a bad mood,” Ryoga growls.

The foursome begin to walk to school together, the conversation turning to their homework assignment on the Takiyasha Witch legend. They’re soon joined by Kotori, who casts off her swan wings as she falls into step beside them.

“Did you guys hear the news?” Kotori asks.

“Gotta be more specific than that,” Yuma says.

Kotori glances at Ryoga and Rio. “About the Arclights.”

Ryoga hisses, his eyes flashing green. “Yeah, I heard.”

“I didn’t!” Yuma says.

Kotori leans over to Yuma and whispers, “They’ve been made teachers at the school, they’re going to teach blood magic.”

Yuma snorts. “Really? Am I the only one who finds that hilarious?”

“Probably,” Ryoga growls. “Filthy vampires.”

Rio glares. “Get over it, okay? You’re going to have to deal with them for the rest of your life, make the best of it.”

Rio once dated the middle Arclight sibling, Thomas, and the relationship ended badly. It’s soured Ryoga’s relationship with them for years, but as they’re the most influential vampire family and Ryoga is set to be the leader of the water shifters, he needs to maintain an amicable relationship with them.

“Bite me,” Ryoga tells her, “I can say what I want about them when they can’t hear me.”

At once, everyone looks over their shoulders. In the underworld, nothing stays secret for long. But the rood is quiet, the only sound besides their voices is the nearby reeds swaying in the wind, and the five of them don’t see anyone who seems to be spying, and they relax. Then they all jump as they hear a shriek.

“ _I’m coming to get you!_ ”

Kotori screams and suddenly vanishes in a swirl of feathers, reappearing as a full-blown swan. Tetsuo leaps in front of Rio, arms thrown out. Rio and Ryoga both pull daggers out of thin air, and Yuma grabs Kotori’s backpack and brandishes it like a sword.

The shriek fades into laughter, and Tokunosuke’s head pops up from the reeds.

“You little goblin!” Rio cries, hands over her chest.

Kotori transforms back into a human, her face bright red and her hair full of feathers. “If you weren’t dead, I would kill you!” She screams, snatching her bag back from Yuma.

Tokunosuke saunters over, and even with a bloody rag covering his mouth, they can all tell he’s smiling. “Just doing my job,” he says.

Rio, Ryoga, Kotori, and Tetsuo all look murderous, but Yuma laughs and gives Tokunosuke a high five. “Nice one! Man, you really got me.”

“There’s a reason I’m top of the class in haunting,” Tokunosuke brags.

“You are not,” Kotori says, “That’s Rin.”

“Well, yeah,” Tokunosuke says, blushing, “But nobody can top her, so she doesn’t count. Seriously, how can anyone beat a teke-teke?”

All six of them shudder as they think of Rin, one of the four legendary spirits of their school. She’s one of the most feared ghosts, a girl who was chopped in half and crawls on her hands, searching for her legs. Or at least, that’s what she does in the human world. In the underworld she retains her legs, but her body is held together by bloody gauze wrapped around her waist, and she’s a truly frightening person. Yuma finds himself reminded of his nightmare, wondering if Rin experienced something similar upon her own death.

Yuma shakes his head and yells, “Enough of this talk, it’s getting me depressed!” He holds out his hands and sends rainbow-colored sparks flying into the air. “Happy thoughts, happy thoughts!” He cries.

Unfortunately, one of his sparks lands on the nearby reeds and they begin to burn. Utter chaos ensues as Yuma forgets the water spell, Kotori turns into a swan again, Tokunosuke tries to trip Tetsuo into the fire, and Rio ultimately puts the blaze out with her own water powers. As smoke rises, the six of them take off running before someone comes along and sees what they did.

 

“It’s not like the fire was that big,” Yuma mutters to Astral as they walk into their spell-casting classroom.

Astral shakes their head. “I suppose it could have happened to anyone, but this is why the number one rule of casting is to check your surroundings.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Yuma mutters as he and Astral take their seats.

“Going to burn down the classroom, Yuma?” Vector asks as he slides into the seat on Yuma’s other side.

Yuma groans. “How did you hear?”

Vector grins, “Ryoga told Alit and I overheard. I can tutor you, if you want.”

Yuma narrows his eyes. “Last time I agreed to that, you spent the entire time flirting with me.”

Vector looks heartbroken. “Well, I can assure you I would not do so this time. Even I know better than to incur the wrath of your lover over there.”

Yuma feels his face heat up and he sputters, “Why does everyone think that?!”

“Perhaps it’s because we hold hands so frequently,” Astral muses. “And why are you afraid of incurring my wrath?”

Vector says, “You may be young but I know better than to mess with a kitsune.”

Astral is the newest student in the Magic School, having become a kitsune only a few weeks ago. Yuma had taken an immediate liking to Astral and had become Astral’s guide to the school, and they have been inseparable ever since. They’ve also been constantly mistaken for a couple.

Astral begins to protest that they don’t want to hurt anyone, but is interrupted by the arrival of their teacher, and a few guests. Yuma glances to the back corner of the room, where Ryoga is sitting with his teeth bared.

“Settle down,” the Sorcerer scolds as some students gasp. “I’m sure by now you have all heard that we are getting new teachers at the school. I would like to introduce to you all Chris, Thomas, and Michael Arclight. They will be observing class today, so I expect you all to be on your best behavior.” The Sorcerer glares at Ryoga as he says the last part.

Astral leans over to Yuma. “I thought we weren’t allowed to know our teachers names.”

“Normally we’re not,” Yuma says, “But the Arclights are vampires, and they can’t be cursed, not by students. Maybe by a god.” In the past, students tried to put curses or hexes on their teachers, leading to a new rule that no student was to know the name of a teacher, as hexes and curses only worked with a person’s true name attached to them.

The Sorcerer waves his wand and at once, all the students’ homework flies towards him. “Today we will be studying Tsukumogami. Can anyone tell me what they are?”

Astral’s hand flies into the air, as does Kotori’s and Anna’s. The Sorcerer chooses Astral.

“They’re objects who have reached one hundred years of age and gained a sense of self.”

“Very well done,” says the Sorcerer. “Your assignment today is to gain the respect of a tsukumogami, which I will give to you.”

The Sorcerer instructs the class on how to earn the respect of sentient objects, and after a while Yuma begins to lose interest. The material is fascinating, but Yuma is turned off by the Sorcerer’s way of speaking as though he knows what every object desires. Yuma imagines being a teapot for one hundred years, then gaining a sense of self, only to be used in a lesson in a high-school for the undead.

When the Sorcerer hands out the objects, Yuma receives a metal pendant in the shape of a key. He holds it in his palm, close to his face, and whispers, “Hi, there. I’m Yuma”

Yuma feels a fleeting wave of curiosity from the key, before it closes itself off.

“Do you have a name?” Yuma asks.

The key remains silent.

“That’s okay, you don’t have to tell me,” Yuma whispers. He notices his classmates getting up from their desks and moving around, and Yuma asks the key, “Do you want to sit in the sun?”

A wave of longing bursts from the key, and Yuma quickly moves to a window. He keeps the key flat in his palm, in direct sunlight, and the spirit of the key slowly begins to open up. First Yuma feels delight, then contentment, and finally he hears words.

_“You’re not like the others.”_

Yuma smiles. “Thank you. I try not to be.”

 _“It’s been a long time since anyone asked what I wanted,”_ the key continues, and Yuma can almost feel its spirit poking at his brain. _“Why did you ask?”_

Yuma answers, “I imagined how I would feel if I waited a hundred years for a soul and then got bossed around by undead kids.”

The key laughs so loudly that the other students notice. _“I like you!”_ The key cries.

“I like you too,” Yuma says, truly delighted. “Can you tell me more about yourself?”

 _“Of course!”_ The key says. It begins to tell Yuma about its early years, before it had a true spirit, but knew enough of itself and surroundings to know that it passed through many hands, and it could identify each owner by the feeling of their hands. It told Yuma about how it finally came to rest, only to be placed on a glass shelf for decades, before finally gaining a true spirit and being found by an undead, and brought to the underworld. _“I’m sure I am nearly two hundred years old by now, if I’m not past that,”_ the key says.

Yuma’s head spins from the key’s stories, but one thing stands out to him. “You sound so sad,” Yuma says.

 _“I have been so bored,”_ the key moans. _“My fellow tsukumogami have no sense of adventure, but as far as I know I am the only one forged by a being other than humans.”_

“Wait, you weren’t made by a human?” Yuma asks.

Before the key can answer, the Sorcerer claps his hands. “Students, please return to your seats.”

Yuma takes the key back to his desk, but the Sorcerer stops Yuma before he can sit. “I notice you had quite the response from your tsukumogami. Will you tell us what technique you used to gain its trust?”

Yuma shrugs. “I didn’t use a technique, I just talked to it.”

The Sorcerer frowns. “I beg your pardon? Do you mean to tell me you didn’t pay attention to your assignment at all?”

Yuma holds the key in his open palm. “I asked it if it wanted to sit in the sun. I may not have used a technique, but I did what you asked.”

The Sorcerer shakes his head. “Yuma, you didn’t follow the rules. That’s grounds for failure.”

Yuma feels rage bubbling up in his chest, and he balls his empty hand into a fist. “So what, talking to a sentient object isn’t considered a proper way to earn trust?” He asks hotly.

“This is not a debate,” The Sorcerer says. “Yuma, give me the key.”

Yuma isn’t about to hand the key over at all, but before he can voice his denial a gust of wind bursts forth from the key and sweeps around the room, scattering papers and slamming the door shut. Yuma feels the key’s anger, fear, and frustration as if it is his own, and perhaps it is his own.

Then the key screams, “ **I WILL NOT GO BACK.** ”

The voice reminds Yuma of his nightmare and he falls to his knees, clutching the key to his chest. Perhaps sensing his fear, the key makes the wind stop, and speaks in a slightly softer, though no less commanding voice.

_“I have chosen my new master. To disrespect my wishes is to incur my eternal anger.”_

The classroom is silent for a few minutes. Yuma stays on the floor, his eyes squeezed shut, until he feels a hand on his shoulder.

“Yuma, was it?”

Yuma opens his eyes and finds himself face-to-face with the oldest Arclight sibling, Chris.

“Th-that’s me,” Yuma stammers.

Chris helps Yuma to his feet. “Steady now, child, don’t be afraid.”

But Yuma doesn’t stop shaking even as Chris helps him to his seat. The key sends a silent wave of regret towards Yuma, and Yuma silently tells it that it’s the Sorcerer who truly worries Yuma at the moment.

“I think you should listen to that key,” Thomas Arclight calls from across the room. He smirks as the Sorcerer glares at him. “And I think Yuma ought to pass this assignment. Despite his unorthodox technique, Yuma has completely earned the trust of an object that is notorious for being finicky. Doesn’t that tell you something, sir?”

“I must agree,” says Chris. “I’ve never seen a tsukumogami request to stay in a student’s possession before.”

The Sorcerer says through gritted teeth, “Thank you, Thomas, Chris, I shall take that into consideration when I give Yuma a grade. Yuma, you may keep the key.”

The key is utterly delighted, and Yuma is too, but he’s also very, very angry.

 

The entire school has heard about the episode in sorcery class by the time Yuma enters the cafeteria for lunch. He was called out of alchemy early for a meeting with the principal (who told Yuma that he wasn’t in trouble, the Sorcerer was just being difficult), and the cafeteria is full by the time Yuma makes his way to his friends and sits with them.

There’s a beat of silence before Vector says, “I guess it’s a good thing Yuma doesn’t know the Sorcerer’s real name, he looks about ready to hex the dude.”

Yuma slams his fist on the table and all the food jumps up and moves two inches away from him. Yuma doesn’t even notice the sudden flare of his powers. “He didn’t even care about the key at all!” Yuma hisses. “He didn’t care about how it felt, he, he just—I’m so mad I could—!!!”

“Set the table on fire?” Rio asks.

Yuma has to laugh at that, and it breaks the hold that his anger has on him. He relaxes slightly, still upset, but not so much that it blinds him. “Yeah, maybe.”

Cathy leans across the table, eyeing the key. “It’s very pretty.”

Yuma took a piece of leather from the alchemy classroom and used it to make a necklace for the key, and it now hangs around his neck. Yuma pulls the cord over his head and holds the key in his palm. “You can say that to it directly, it would like that.”

Cathy smiles down at the key. “You’re very pretty.”

Yuma asks, “Key, do you want to meet my friends?”

When the key says yes, Yuma places it in Cathy’s hand. It gets passed to Rio, Kotori, Ryoga, Tetsuo, Tokunosuke, Takashi, Alit, Astral, and finally Vector.

“An awful lot of fuss for such a little thing,” Vector says as he hands the key back to Yuma.

“But the key isn’t the problem here,” Yuma says. “It’s me. I wasn’t going to follow the stupid rules no matter what object I’d been given, and if the Sorcerer had disregarded its feelings the way he disregarded the key, I would still have talked back to him.”

Ryoga shakes his head. “Yuma, sometimes you’ve just got to keep your head down. Some things can’t be changed.”

Yuma slumps down in his seat. “Well, that doesn’t mean I can’t try.”


	2. My Skeleton Crew

Yuma forgoes his homework in the evening, choosing instead to curl up in his hammock with the key. It still hasn’t told Yuma if it has a name, so Yuma simply calls it “Key.”

“I am sorry I got you in trouble today,” Key says, for the hundredth time.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Yuma responds, for the hundredth time. “I felt how scared you were. You didn’t deserve that.” Yuma lets the key rest over his heart. “And I wouldn’t have let the Sorcerer take you away.”

Key sends Yuma a burst of affection. “You’re a good soul, indeed.”

Yuma smiles. “Thanks, it’s good to hear that. So if you like me, what do you think of my friends?”

“They are all good souls,” Key says.

“Even Vector?” Yuma asks.

“He’s tormented,” Key admits, “But a few of them are, as well. Vector just doesn’t hide it as much.”

“They’ve all been through a lot,” Yuma says quietly.

“How did you come to meet them?” Key asks.

Yuma pauses to gather his thoughts. “Can I show you my memories of it? Of coming here, and meeting all of them?”

“If you feel comfortable, I would love to see them,” Key says.

So Yuma closes his eyes, and thinks back to when he first learned he was in the underworld.

 

 

 

Still reeling from what happened to his soul, Yuma finds himself lying on a cold floor in a dark place, a place that look and feels like a cave. Yuma looks up, but he can’t see a ceiling. He looks around. A young boy stands in front of him, holding a lantern.

“That was unexpected,” the boy says.

“Who are you?!” Yuma demands.

“My name is Kite, it’s my job to take you to where you need to go.”

Yume looks around wildly. “Where are we?”

“At the bridge,” Kite says. “Behind you is the human world. Up is the afterlife, down is the underworld.”

“I’m dead?!” Yuma cries.

Kite nods. “You are. Do you remember it?”

“I remember that it hurt!” Yuma says. But flashes of memory come back to him—a dark road, a patch of ice, the car flipping over and over and over, finally bursting into flames.

Yuma gets to his feet. “I have to go back,” he says, turning around. “I…I left someone…” he struggles to walk, but it feels like his feet are weighed down. “My sister, I left my sister, I have to go to her!”

Kite grabs Yuma’s arm. “You can’t. The gods have decided that you’re going to the underworld.”

“No, I can’t leave her!” Yuma cries.

“I know it’s hard,” Kite says, “But in time you’ll heal, and so will she. She’ll move on and—”

Yuma begins to sob, “No, you don’t understand, we’re all alone! Our parents are gone, our grandmother died, she’s all I have, I’m all she has, I need her!”

Kite puts his lantern down and moves to stand in front of Yuma, looking torn. “I’m sorry, I truly am. There’s nothing you can do.”

Yuma gasps. “She was with me! She was in the car!” He grabs Kite’s shoulders. “Did you see her?! Did she come this way?”

“I’m not supposed to say,” Kite says.

Yuma falls to his knees. “Please tell me, I have to know, please, she’s the only family I have left!”

Kite closes his eyes. “What did she look like?”

Yuma babbles, “She has red hair and brown eyes, she’s taller and paler than me, she’s a journalist…”

Kite shakes his head. “I haven’t seen her.”

Yuma covers his ears and screams. “It’s not fair! They said it was unjust, they said I was taken before my time! She was with me!”

“Yuma, don’t do this,” Kite says, but Yuma shouts over him.

“AKARI, I NEED YOU! AKARI!”

Kite grabs Yuma’s arm. “Actually, keep yelling her name.”

Yuma barely hears him, he screams for his sister, over and over, and finally he hears a whisper of a response.

_“Yuma?”_

Yuma opens his eyes. “Akari, I’m here!”

Lights begin to gather from the corners of the room. “I hear you, Yuma,” Akari’s voice says. “I tried to hold on…”

“It’s okay!” Yuma cries, “You don’t have to, you can let go if you want, I wasn’t able to hold on!”

The lights come together to form a human figure, and when they fade, Akari is lying on the floor of the cave.

“I’ll be damned,” Kite says.

Akari sits up, rubbing her eyes. “Yuma…”

Yuma runs to his sister and hugs her. “Is this real?” He asks.

Akari strokes Yuma’s hair. “I heard you calling me. I started going towards you, but I didn’t know if you were alive, or dead…we’re both dead, aren’t we?”

“You are,” Kite says, scooping his lantern up from the ground. “And the gods have given you both new purpose, and a new life in the underworld. And it’s about time you both get a move on, or we’ll all be in trouble.”

The bridge between the human and underworld is a literal bridge, a stone one that is only a few meters wide, and suspended over a seemingly bottomless canyon, below a seemingly endless ceiling, and surrounded by narrow, sheer cliffs. It feels like they’ve fallen into a crack in the earth. At first, Yuma and Akari are reluctant to set foot on the bridge.

“You won’t fall,” Kite says encouragingly. “Even if you did, you would bounce right back. That canyon isn’t for the likes of either of you, or me.”

Finally, Yuma and Akari follow Kite over the bridge. As Kite guides them to the underworld, he tells them he is one of many Kasha, a spirit who collects souls and brings them to their ultimate destination. He became a Kasha after first becoming an Onryo, a vengeful spirit. Kite made a deal with the gods to serve as a Kasha for one thousand years, in order for himself and his brother, Hart, to be reincarnated together into a happy family.

“You two remind me of myself and Hart,” Kite says.

“How long have you served?” Yuma asks. “A thousand years is…it’s a long time.”

“It is,” Kite agrees. “I’ve nearly reached the halfway point.”

Akari asks, “What’s the difference between the underworld and the afterlife?”

Kite grins. “Well, the underworld is a lot like the human world in some ways. There are laws, leaders, beings who live their lives. It’s a collection of different worlds, all home to different beings—monsters, if you will. Faeries, vampires, vengeful spirits like myself, and the gods.”

“There’s more than one?” Yuma asks.

“There are hundreds,” Kite says, “And chances are you’ve worshipped almost all of them at some point in your short life, even if you didn’t know it. But you’ll learn more about that later, right now what you need to know is that you’re both Shikigame, spirits who serve as familiars to Onmyōji.”

“What are—?” Yuma starts to ask, but Kite cuts him off.

“Onmyōji are sorcerers. Or maybe they’re shamans. I don’t know, it’s all very confusing. Basically they walk a line between worlds, they can be fae, human, shapeshifters, anything except the undead, and they have the power to warp time and space and do magic, but they often need help. Since they can’t be undead, they need help from the undead.”

“So wait,” Akari says, “It’s not just humans who can be sent to the underworld?”

“Well actually, yes,” Kite says. “Humans have to be sent, or reincarnated to get to the underworld. But plenty of beings, like faeries and vampires and so on, are born into the underworld. Think of the underworld like another planet, far away from the observation of Earth. Life happens there, it’s just that humans can’t see it.”

“Fantastic, we’ve been abducted by aliens,” Akari mutters.

 

Yuma and Akari are given a place to live, one that’s remarkably like their old house. It even has an attic, which admittedly lacks ancient artifacts, but does have a hammock, and Yuma claims it as his. They are required to start school immediately, because it’s the only way they’ll learn to navigate the underworld. Just like in the human world, beings are grouped by age, so Yuma and Akari are in different classes, but the same school.

In Yuma’s first class, the teacher introduces herself as the Sociologist.

“You aren’t allowed to know the names of your teachers,” She explains. “So you will address us by what subject we teach. I will teach you all about the areas and inhabitants of the underworld.”

The Sociologist then has her class arrange their seats in a circle, putting herself and Yuma at the top of the circle. Yuma introduces himself to the class, and then the Sociologist tells the other students to introduce themselves and tell Yuma about what they are, and how they came to the underworld.

The first student introduces herself as Kotori. “I’m a swan maiden. I was born in the underworld, and it’s my hope to one day be an entertainer for a god. I can turn into a swan, and I also have a pair of wings made from swan feathers, which I can take on and off and which allow me to fly.”

A boy who, quite frankly, scares Yuma introduces himself next. “I’m Tokunosuke. I’m a Yokai, specifically a Kuchisake, and I was reincarnated into the underworld.” He gestures to the bloody gauze around his mouth. “My mouth is slit, and even though I’m undead it always bleeds no matter how much I change the gauze. One day I’ll haunt the human world and torment bullies and those who abuse children.”

The more the beings talk about themselves, the less Yuma comes to fear each of them, and the more he realizes that they aren’t all so different.

“My name is Anna. I’m a Yokai, too, a Futakuchi. I have a mouth at the back of my head, and if I don’t eat, it eats for me. I died of starvation and was reincarnated into the underworld.”

“I’m Tetsuo. I’m a Nyūdō-bōzu, we’re native of the underworld and considered low-level mischief makers. We grow when people look up at us, and we can grow hundreds of meters tall. I haven’t quite decided what I’ll do with this talent, but it’ll probably be hilarious.”

“I’m Takashi, and I’m a member of the Yosei, the faery people. I enjoy playing pranks, someday I’ll probably find an old castle to haunt and scare the crap out of people for fun.”

“My name is Cathy, and I’m an onryo, subsection Hanako-san. You’ve probably heard of female ghosts who haunt bathrooms in schools and such, well that’s going to be me, someday. I was human once, just like you, Yuma. I was murdered in a public restroom, which is what makes me a bathroom ghost now.” She wrinkles her nose. “Such an undignified death, but it brought me here, so I guess it’s not all bad.”

A purple-haired boy mumbles that his name is Ryoga, and the girl next to him elbows him sharply before smiling at Yuma.

“I’m Rio, Ryoga’s twin sister. We’re Ningyo, comparable to what humans call merfolk. We’re also shapeshifters, which is why we have a human form right now. We travel to this city via the fountain in the central square. My brother is next in line to lead our people, or he will be if he can learn to open his mouth and speak.”

The class giggles and Ryoga blushes.

The next boy, slouching down in his seat, says in a bored tone, “I’m Vector. I’m an Amanojaku, reincarnated into the role. I enjoy playing tricks, telling lies, and causing general mayhem.” He smirks at Yuma. “So watch your back there, cutie.”

The next boy to introduce himself opens his mouth only for his head to come off. “Dang it!” The head screams. The now headless body’s arms reach into the open air.

Yuma shrieks.

“Somebody get me,” the head says, and Ryoga rolls his eyes, seizes the head by the hair, and sets it back on the body.

“Sorry about that,” the boy says to Yuma. “I’m working on getting that under control. My name is Alit, I was killed many, many, many years ago by decapitation. I spent a lot of time as a Rokurokubi, a kind of onryo, only unlike Cathy, I didn’t come straight to the underworld. I was so angry about my death, the gods couldn’t control me, and I wandered the earth for a long time. I think I spawned the headless horseman story. But finally my anger abated, and the gods got me, and offered me a job as a banshee. As you can see, I still lose my head sometimes. Sorry I scared you.”

Yuma feels a bit silly. “Sorry I screamed.”

“No worries,” Alit says, “It’s not every day you watch someone’s head fall off.”

With the introductions over with, class begins, and Yuma soon finds himself lost in the rules and regulations of the underworld. After class, Kotori, Tetsuo, and Cathy approach Yuma.

“I know it’s not easy,” Cathy says. “But you’ll get the hang of it, and we’re your friends now, so we can help you.”

Yuma attends all his classes with the same group of people, and he eats lunch with them in the afternoon—or most of them, some go off to do other things, some don’t need to eat. It reminds Yuma of his old school in many ways, people group off, make friends, and pass time by having fun with each other.

“It’s not so bad, is it?” Tetsuo asks.

Yuma finds himself smiling. “No, it’s really not.”

Tetsuo walks home with Yuma in the afternoon, showing him around the city. Yuma finds piece of his old personality coming back to him, and he remembers how much he loved a challenge.

“Hey, Tetsuo, I bet I can run faster than you.”

Tetsuo snorts. “Please, I can just outgrow you and take two steps, I’ll win any race.”

Yuma grins. “Then you won’t have any problem accepting a challenge from me.”

“You’re on!” Tetsuo cries.

Tetsuo wins the race, but Yuma vows to win next time.

“I like you,” Tetsuo says. “You’ve got spirit.”

 

Over the next few days, Yuma grows closer to his new group of friends, and they teach him the ins and outs of the underworld. Yuma is also warned about Vector.

“Listen,” Alit says, patting Yuma’s shoulder, “You can’t trust an Amanojaku. They lie, and they trick people. It’s just what they do.”

But Yuma isn’t one to listen to what he’s told, and he feels bad for Vector, the guy seems to have no friends. So when Vector offers to tutor Yuma in spellcasting, Yuma accepts.

Vector seems utterly shocked. “For real?”

“If you meant it,” Yuma says. “Come home with me after school, my sister won’t be home.”

Vector smiles. “Great!”

But when they get to Yuma’s house, Vector shows no interest in studying. Yuma tries his best to get Vector to pay attention to the books, but all Vector does is give Yuma compliments, sit too close to him, and finally, Vector tries to kiss Yuma.

Yuma pushes him away. “Alright, that’s enough.”

Vector looks confused. “What are you talking about? You told me to come because your sister wasn’t home.”

“You offered to help me study!” Yuma says. “There was nothing about flirting mentioned.”

Vector only seems to get more upset. “But you’ve been so nice to me. I thought…I thought you…” he tears up, and Yuma waits for him to laugh, to yell ‘Gotcha,’ but he doesn’t.

“I’m nice to you because you’re my _friend_ ,” Yuma says. “We can be friends without kissing each other. I can like you without have an ulterior motive.”

Vector sneers at that. “Yeah, right. There’s no such thing as an honest person.”

That hurts, and Yuma takes Vector’s hand. “But I am being honest, look.” And he concentrates as hard as he can on a spell he just learned, one which allows Vector to see things from his perspective. It doesn’t work exactly the way it should, and Vector only gets some of it, but apparently it’s enough, because Vector yanks his hand away and cries openly.

“I should go,” Vector says, tears flowing down his cheeks, grabbing for his things.

“Wait, what?” Yuma asks. “I thought you saw that I meant it.”

“They were right,” Vector mutters, “People like you shouldn’t be around people like me.”

“Why?” Yuma asks, grabbing Vector’s arm, but the spell is still in effect, and this time Yuma sees what Vector is feeling, and all he feels is pain—physical pain. Yuma yanks his hand back, and Vector stares at him, his face reflecting the pain he’s feeling.

“What happened to you?” Yuma asks.

So Vector sits, and he tells Yuma that when he was human he was a delinquent, and he was a victim of abuse from his father.

“I couldn’t do anything right,” Vector says. “Anything I did was wrong. My mom tried to help me and he hurt her, too. So I ran away, because I didn’t want her to get hurt anymore because of me. I got arrested so many times for shoplifting, and the police all said I was just another problem kid, not worth the trouble of rehabilitating.”

Yuma puts his arm around Vector’s shoulders. “What happened to you? How did you die?”

Vector laughs, and it turns into a sob. “I went home. I was so tired and hungry…but my dad was there, and he’d been drinking. He grabbed a knife, I was going to let him kill me, but my mom jumped in front of me, and he…he stabbed her. He didn’t even try to stop himself from hurting her. I took a bottle and I hit him over the head with it, and I stabbed him in the throat with the broken handle. I tried to save my mom but it was too late, she was already gone.” He breaks off sobbing, and it’s a long time before he can continue. “I don’t remember dying. I just remember lying next to my mother. I guess I starved to death? I don’t think I moved at all after that.”

Yuma starts to cry too, and for a while he and Vector just cry on each other’s shoulders. When Akari comes home she finds them sitting on the sofa, talking quietly. Vector stays for dinner, and the next day at school he’s back to his usual self, but from then on Yuma insists that Vector sit with him and his friends. Vector comes to dinner at Yuma’s house a few more times, and each time he continues to flirt, but it’s different, more playful and teasing.

Yuma never tells anyone about Vector’s past.

 

For a long time, there are no new students in the school near Yuma’s age. That changes when Astral suddenly joins the class, nearly two years after Yuma became an undead. Astral certainly stands out from the other students. Their skin is tinged blue, and they wear a loose-fitting tunic. Their hair is white and upswept, and they mismatched eyes, one golden and one silver. Yuma has never seen an undead like them.

“What kind of name is Astral?” Vector asks when the Sociologist introduces the new student.

Astral shrugs. “I just picked it. I’ve never had a name in my life, and the gods didn’t give me one. I’m a kitsune.”

The class gasps, even Vector looks intrigued. New Kitsune are rare, especially in modern days where there are so many ways for foxes to die.

“How did you live so long?” Ryoga asks.

“I just…” Astral seems confused. “I don’t know.”

The Sociologist clears her throat. “Astral is new to life as a humanoid, so it’ll be up to you, as a class, to help him adapt. I would like one of you to volunteer to show Astral around the community.”

Yuma immediately remembers what it was like to be new to the underworld, and raises his hand. The Sociologist directs Astral to sit beside Yuma.

“You’ll be in good hands,” she says.

When Yuma escorts Astral around the school and the city, Astral hardly speaks. Yuma assumes it’s because they’re shy, and doesn’t say anything about it. Yuma takes Astral everywhere he can think that a new being might need to be familiar with, and finishes the tour at the fountain where he meets Ryoga and Rio every morning.

“Any questions?” Yuma asks. Astral seems hesitant, so Yuma says, “It can be about anything, I’m not shy, and I’ll answer as best I can.”

“I’d imagine so,” Astral says. “You confound me, Yuma.”

“How so?” Yuma asks, taken aback.

“It’s not a bad thing,” Astral says. “In my hundred years, I never met a human quite like you. You are clearly intelligent, yet I could see today that you’re not doing well in school. You have many friends, and they all adore you, but you don’t think of yourself as special. You’ve told me all about everyone and everything, but you haven’t told me about yourself.”

Yuma is amazed. “You…wow, you’re observant.”

Astral smiles. “I’ve been with you all day. I paid attention to everything you said, and everything you didn’t say.”

Yuma sighs. “You’re going to be like my sister, you’ll get through school quickly.” He smiles sadly. “I’ll miss you when you leave.”

Astral sits on the edge of the fountain. “Maybe I won’t go far. Maybe I’ll stay in the underworld.”

Yuma snorts. “I wouldn’t. Vector says that undead beings have a lot more freedom in the human world, but going there means we never get to come back.”

“You don’t like it here?” Astral asks.

“I’m glad I got a chance to live again, even if I’m not human,” Yuma clarifies, “But you’d think that in a place like this, where the unreal is real, there would be room to bend the rules, yet we’re so…stuck. It’s like nobody told the gods that they could do like the human world and modernize a bit. That’s why I don’t do well in school, I think. I try, but I do things differently, so my attempts don’t matter.”

Astral mulls that over. “I want to see what it is that you do differently. It’s been a long time since I had a companion—a friend. Can we be friends?”

Yuma sits beside Astral. “We absolutely can!” He says happily.

“So, new friends make you happy,” Astral observes. “What else does? Your sister, I assume.”

“Yes, she does,” Yuma says. “All my friends do. I love sunrises, but I rarely see them, unless I stayed up all night, which I do more often than I should. I love the stars, too. Or I did. We don’t see stars down here. I love food, all food makes me happy—but not tomatoes, I hate them!”

Yuma continues to talk, about his favorite classes, books, TV shows—he has to explain the concept of TV to Astral—only noticing how much time has passed when he realizes the sun is setting. But Astral listens to him with a smile on their face, and they tell Yuma that they enjoyed listening.

“Will you tell me about yourself now?” Yuma asks.

Astral nods. “I like the smell of dirt after it rains, I love fish, and soft things. I’m not used to clothes, it took a while for me to find something I could stand to wear for long periods of time. I don’t like things that are too constricting around the neck.” They look thoughtfully at Yuma. “I like learning, I discovered that today. And that’s really all I know about myself.”

“Really?” Yuma asks.

“I’ve only really existed like this, in this form, for a few days,” Astral says, tilting their head towards the sky. “As a fox, I lived the last years of my life in a quiet forest, and I slept a lot. Before that, I lived in cities and towns, doing whatever I could to survive. I didn’t really enjoy life, you know?”

Yuma gets to his feet. “Well, a good way to enjoy life is to spend it with friends. Want to come to my house? We can have dinner together and I can show you my comic books?”

“Comic books?” Astral echoes.

Yuma nods. “They’re stories, told through words and images. The libraries down here have everything, if you know where to look, and they have my favorite series—Esper Robin, it’s about a superhero who tries to save his mom from a darkness corrupting her heart. It’s an amazing story!”

Astral looks away. “Yuma, I…I can’t read.”

Yuma’s jaw drops. “You can’t?”

Astral blushes. “It’s something I’ll work on at school.”

Yuma holds out his hand to Astral. “I’ll help you,” he says. “I’ll read to you. I’ll help you recognize words.”

Astral bites their lip, then takes Yuma’s hand. “You’re possibly the nicest person I’ve ever met.”

It’s Yuma’s turn to blush. “That’s something I’ve never heard before.” He smiles. “I’m honored that you think that way.”

Astral and Yuma start to walk toward Yuma’s house, still holding hands, both of them still blushing. True to his word, once they get to the house, Yuma takes Astral right to his room and shows him the comics. They read for a little while, then they help Akari cook dinner, and Astral joins them for the meal.

The next day at school, Yuma and Astral stick to each other like Velcro. Yuma helps Astral understand instructions in class, and Astral’s innocent curiosity about everything helps Yuma get through each lesson. They soon become an inseparable pair.

 

 

 

Yuma pulls himself out of his memories and holds Key away from himself, feeling a blush on his cheeks. He wonders if he lingered a little too much on his memories with Astral, but Key doesn’t seem to mind.

“I see that your friends are all dear to you,” Key says. “And you value all of them very much. And I see that like me, you are fed up with the underworld.”

“Yeah,” Yuma says. “I say that I’ll try to change it, but I’m not sure there’s much I can do.”

Key sends Yuma a wave of comfort. “It’s natural for you to feel doubt, but even if you can’t change things, sometimes your effort is enough.”

It sounds like something Astral might say, and it makes Yuma happy to hear that, but he’s still sad that he might not be able to do much.

“Your friends will help you,” Key says. “I only met them today, for a minute, but I know they will help you with that goal.”

Yuma smiles at Key and holds it against his chest again. “Thanks,” he says, “I really hope that’s true.”


	3. Interlude: So Scary Cool, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introducing those Arc V characters I mentioned

Kotori clutches her notebook in shaking hands, peering around the doorframe to the cafeteria. The Sociologist has begun the dryad unit, and has told the students to interview a dryad. Kotori is the only student who doesn’t have a dryad friend she can ask, and she’s not sure where to find one. The only dryad she knows of that hasn’t been mentioned by her friends is, well, Yuzu.

“It’s not like she’s Rin,” Kotori whispers to herself. And she’s sure Rin isn’t even that scary, just like she’s sure Yuzu isn’t scary at all, in fact she knows for a fact that Yuzu cultivates the school garden for fun on the weekends, so how bad could she be?

Kotori scurries to the table where her friends are sitting and seizes Rio by the hand. “You’re coming with me.”

“Why?!” Rio sputters, “I have an interview lined up!”

“I can’t go alone, besides you’re more important than me,” Kotori says. She clutches Rio’s hand tightly as they walk across the cafeteria to the four girl’s table. The walk seems to take forever, and Kotori starts feeling lightheaded as she draws close. When she’s only a few steps away from the table, she stops, and Rio almost bumps into her. None of the girls are looking at her.

“Excuse me?” Kotori squeaks.

Serena is the first to look up, and the others soon follow. Kotori shuffles forward, Rio close behind her. Kotori keeps her eyes on Yuzu.

“We were wondering if we could speak to you, Yuzu,” Kotori says, “We…we have to interview a dryad for our homework.”

Yuzu smiles widely. “You want to interview me?”

Rio and Kotori nod.

“Oh, I’m honored!” Yuzu gushes. “I never get interviewed for this project! Would you like to do it now?”

“If you’re not busy,” Rio says, sounding excited, in spite of her earlier protests.

Serena laughs and kicks Yuzu’s chair with her foot. “Please, take her.”

Yuzu sticks her tongue out at Serena and stands up. “Is it just you two? Well, I suppose the Sociologist wouldn’t want all of your classmates to interview me. How about we go to the garden?”

Rio and Kotori trail after Yuzu as she leads the way out of the school, the guard barely glances at them as they pass. Yuzu winks and says, “Being top of the school has its perks.”

The three of them go behind the building and walk along the path that cuts through the garden. Yuzu sits on a bench under a large willow tree, and Kotori and Rio sit next to her. The branches of the tree gravitate towards Yuzu, draping over her shoulders and twirling in her hair.

“Do all plants act like that around you?” Kotori asks, opening her book.

Yuzu smiles and holds her hand out, and the branches twine around it. “No, not all of them, but this tree and I have a lot of history. It was dying when I started school here, along with the rest of this garden, and Serena and I brought it back from the brink of death. I visit the garden every day to talk to it, and make sure it’s doing well. The tree is the oldest plant in the garden, so it does most of the talking. It respects me, and I respect it. It’s surprised to see me right now, and very happy.”

“How do you know what it is feeling?” Rio asks.

“Much the same way one communicates with a Tsukumogami. I can speak to all plants in this way, but not all dryads can. Dryads are born from plants, we live among plants, but just as not all beings get along, not all dryads get along with plants, therefore they can’t just walk up to any dandelion and strike up a conversation. Can you guess what makes me special?”

Rio answers, “You’ll be leader of the dryads some day?”

Yuzu nods. “Indeed, and I have a special bond with my plant brethren. I don’t just care for the dryads, I care for the plants, too.”

Rio and Kotori go down the list of questions given to them by their teacher, pretty basic stuff, and then they have to make up their own question. Emboldened by Yuzu’s open attitude, Rio decides to ask a really daring question.

“I won’t write this down, if you don’t want me to,” She says, “But do you want to be leader of the dryads? It seems like you didn’t have a choice.”

Yuzu seems shocked, but not angry. “You’re right, I didn’t have a choice, much like your brother, and you, I suppose. I guess I do look forward to being a leader, mostly because it’s my chance to push for change.” She sighs sadly. “But it means…sacrifices. It means I can’t be with my friends as often as I would like.” She suddenly stands. “Here, come with me for a minute.”

She leads Rio and Kotori to the greenhouse, past the tropical plants, and to the hot, dry room in the back of the building.

“This is where I cultivate my earthly desert flowers,” Yuzu says, stopping beside an inconspicuous cacti and kneeling before it. “This cactus will sprout a flower that blooms once a year, for one night only. It’s called a moonflower.”

Rio gasps and covers it with a cough, but Yuzu gives her a knowing look. “I’ll be sad when I have to report for duty and can’t see my flower every day.”

Rio nods slowly.

Yuzu stands and brushes off her knees. “Write what you will about that, I honestly don’t care. And I believe lunch is over, so I guess that’s the end of the interview. Did you get what you needed?”

“We sure did,” Kotori says, “Thank you so much, it was a pleasure talking to you!”

Yuzu looks delighted. “The honor is all mine!” She hugs Kotori, and then Rio. “Don’t be a stranger, come talk to me whenever you want. I promise I don’t bite, and neither does Rin, no matter what you hear about her. In fact,” Yuzu says, snapping her fingers, “Are you kids planning anything for Obon?”

“I don’t think so,” Kotori says. “I mean, Vector usually does, but…”

“You should hitch a ride to the human world with us,” Yuzu says, “We’ll probably go our separate ways upon arrival, but it’s such fun, and it’s the only night you’ll get to see the human world this year. So, think about it, ask your friends, and let me know.”

The go back to the main building together, and when they say goodbye to Yuzu, Rio grabs Kotori and hauls her into a bathroom, locking the door.

“What the heck?” Kotori asks.

Rio checks all the stalls, then hauls Kotori close. “Did you pick up on that subtext Yuzu just gave us?!”

Kotori shakes her head, and Rio responds by shaking Kotori.

“The moonflower!” Rio says in a strangled voice. “Moon! Serena means moon! She can’t see her flower!? She was talking about Serena!”

“What?” Kotori yelps.

“Yuzu and Serena are dating!”

 

Yuzu barely makes it to history on time, and she slides into the seat next to Serena.

“How did it go?” Serena asks, not bothering to look up from her notebook.

Yuzu leans her head on Serena’s shoulder. “It was fun, I liked talking to them.”

“How come no one ever wants to interview me?” Rin whines.

“Because you scare the crap out of everyone,” Serena and Yuzu answer together.

Rin pouts, her arms folded across her chest. “It’s not my fault I’m the best monster there ever was.”

At that, Ruri scowls. “Bite your tongue, I was famous way before you were, and that makes me the best!”

Ruri and Rin dissolve into bickering, the Historian starts the lesson without even attempting to scold them, and Yuzu wraps her arms around Serena’s waist.

“Want to go to the beach after school?” Yuzu asks.

Serena nods and puts her hands over Yuzu’s. “Sounds like fun.”

 

The moon is rising over the waves as Yuzu and Serena walk hand-in-hand. They don’t see stars in the underworld, but the sun and moon are ever present in all worlds. Yuzu follows Serena’s gaze as she looks at the moon.

“Thinking about your fellow rabbits?”

Serena nods. “Someday I’ll be up there, controlling the tides and the cycles of the worlds, the lunar power at my fingertips…” She looks away from the moon and squeezes Yuzu’s hand. “I’ll be able to help your night flowers bloom.”

Yuzu sighs. “Yes, I just wish you’d be there to see them.”

“You act like we’ll never see each other,” Serena laughs. “Come on, we’ll be busy for sure, but it isn’t like we’ll be apart all the time.”

“Yeah,” Yuzu admits, “But it won’t be the same. School is easy, it ends after a few hours. We’ll never get away from being leaders.”

“Not true,” Serena says, looking back at the moon. “Someday, someone will be born who will take my place as head of the jade rabbit spirits. And the dryads will choose a new leader. And by then, maybe…maybe we’ll be ready to leave.”

“Leave?” Yuzu echoes. “Leave what?”

Serena stops walking. “Leave the underworld all together, and go to the human world with Rin and Ruri.”

Yuzu gapes at her girlfriend. “You mean it? You’d be willing to…to exile yourself? I thought you missed the moon!”

“I do,” Serena says, “But…maybe things will change. Maybe one day, leaving the underworld won’t be such a terrible thing. Maybe we’ll be able to go visit more than once a year.” She takes Yuzu’s other hand, too. “We both know we’d miss Rin and Ruri terribly. Just imagine the four of us wandering the human world, together forever! It would be amazing, and we’d be free of the restrictions of the underworld, free to be with spirits who are tired of it, just like we are. We could see everything!”

Yuzu wants it all, she wants it so much that her heart aches with it. “It sounds amazing. I just hope it can really happen.”

Serena lets go of Yuzu’s hands, and takes Yuzu’s face in her palms. “It totally can,” She says firmly, “And it’ll happen sooner than you think.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twitter user hyuu_ygo drew Rin in this story! Find their art here :  
> https://twitter.com/hyuu_ygo/status/787563047304978432


	4. Interlude: So Scary Cool, Part 2

“ _The last thing you hear is the sound her nails make as she drags herself across the floor. ‘Te-ke, te-ke.’ Her nails touch the floor. ‘Te.’ She drags herself along. ‘Keeeeee…_ ’”

“You’ve got it all wrong!” Rin interrupts, waving her hands in front of Ruri’s face. “You’ve gotta put more of a screech into your voice on the ‘Ke’ part. How many times have you seen me do this now?”

Ruri throws down the ghost story book. “Interrupt me one more time, see what happens!”

Rin rolls her eyes into the back of her head. “ _One_ ,” She moans, “ _Two, three, four…_ ”

Ruri launches herself at Rin and tackles her to the ground. Rin lets out an unearthly howl, one that lasts for mere seconds before she bursts into laughter.

“I didn’t mean it, sweetie!” Rin says, trying to fend off Ruri, “Honest, I didn’t!”

Ruri stops tickling Rin and lets her up. Rin sits up and straightens her bloody bandages, but after a minute she sighs. “It’s no use, I’ve gotta change them.”

Ruri immediately feels guilty. “I’ll help you.”

Rin pats Ruri’s head and kisses her cheek. “It was about time for it anyways.”

They head to Rin’s room, and Rin goes to her dressing table. She strips off her shirt, bloodstained around her waist, revealing blood-soaked bandages. The cut that circles her body isn’t especially wide, nor does it pain her, but the bleeding is certainly inconvenient.

The modern legend of the human world says the teke-teke was sliced in half after falling on a railroad track, but the ghost dates far before the invention of railways. In Rin’s case, she _did_ die from being sliced in half, but it was during a car accident. It seems that for a spirit to be reborn as a teke-teke, they must be killed by means of a fatal, separating blow to the midsection.

“If I could have one wish,” Rin growls as she uses her sharp nails to slice away the wrappings, “It would be that I could control the damn bleeding.”

Ruri helps Rin wrap new gauze around her waist. They make it thick, in hopes that her shirt won’t be covered with blood in a few hours. When they finish and Rin puts on a new shirt, she looks like any other human spirit.

“I can’t wait for Obon,” Rin says, and Ruri understands that she wants to change the subject.

“It’s a big year,” Ruri says, grinning at Rin. “Do you think our brothers are ready for us?”

Rin laughs, “Please, they have no idea what’s coming for them.”

Ruri laughs too, and it quickly turns into a cackle. “No one does,” She says, her voice a growl. “Oh, I can’t wait for my chance to show them what I’ve become.”

Rin sits on her bed and pulls Ruri into her lap. She strokes Ruri’s hair and croons, “You’re terrifying. I bet they’ll die upon sight of you.”

Ruri shakes her head. “I won’t let them. There’s no fun in that.”

Ruri is a ghost of broken promises and betrayal. Her lineage has existed practically since the dawn of time, and though the most popular folklore involves maids, palaces, and missing plates, the truth is that the Banchō Sarayashiki can be born from any kind of betrayal. In Ruri’s case, she was murdered by her foster parents, people she trusted to keep her safe. Now that she’s mastered the use of her powers, she’s going to haunt them until their own dying day, and see to it that they pay for the crime they thought they got away with.

Rin giggles. “Of course not. Oh Ruri, we’re about to have so much fun!”

Ruri nuzzles Rin’s cheek, giggling with her. “Obon can’t come soon enough.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For more info on characters, go here :
> 
> http://rainbow-galaxy-supernova.tumblr.com/post/151446863386/characters-and-links-for-my-new-zexal-fic


	5. Underneath the Moonlight

“Guys, what are we doing for Obon?” Kotori asks as the group eats lunch.

Vector flashes a peace sign at Kotori. “I’m going to the human world like I always do.”

Astral looks at Yuma. “What’s Obon?”

“It’s the festival of ancestors in Buddhism,” Yuma explains, “And over the centuries, the attention paid to the afterlife during the festival has allowed it to be a time where the barriers between the worlds can be crossed. Beings from the underworld are free to go to the human world for the night.”

“And it’s amazing,” Vector says. “If you’re a powerful enough being, you can have physical presence in the human world. I’m not that strong, but I can play a few tricks, and I love watching the havoc that beings like Rin unleash. Other than that, the festival is pretty nice.”

“I want to go this year,” Kotori says.

It shocks the group, as Kotori has never once in her life gone to the human world.

“I want to go too,” Rio chimes in, “Yuzu invited us to go with her and the other legends!”

“Just you two?” Tetsuo asks.

“All of us!” Rio says. “She said we could hitch a ride with them, she was so honored when Kotori asked to interview her, she said she’d love to take us!”

“We should all go,” Kotori says. She looks at Yuma. “It’ll be a good break from the underworld. We can have fun together without worrying about being watched.”

Yuma hasn’t been back to the human world since his own death. In all honesty, he does miss it. He looks at Astral. “Would you like to come, too?”

Astral nods. “Yes, it sounds like a wonderful learning opportunity.”

“BORING!” Vector yells, playfully shoving Astral. “If you come, it has to be for fun! Be a real kitsune, cause some mayhem!”

“What kind of mayhem could we possibly get up to?” Alit asks, “We’re not that strong.”

“Do what I do and shadow the stronger spirits,” Vector says. “Last year, I went with Ruri and Rio to a haunted house, and we pretended to be part of the experience. Rin went full-out teke-teke and dragged herself down the hall, and we pretended to be monstrous reflections in mirrors, it was a blast!” His grin turns dark. “And after that, Serena paid a bribe to the gods so Ruri could have some fun. She found this monster of a human and tricked him into thinking she was a helpless mortal. He kidnapped her and tried to do horrible things to her, but then Ruri revealed herself as an onryo, and she killed him and dragged his soul to hell. I got to watch the whole thing.”

There’s a stunned silence in the group.

“Maybe we could skip that part,” Cathy says quietly.

“Aw, you guys are no fun,” Vector whines. “Revenge is the best part of walking the human world!”

Yuma chances a glance across the cafeteria to the four legendary girls. “Funny, everyone thinks Rin is the scariest.”

“Ruri is scarier,” Vector says, “Good lords, she gave me a fright and I don’t scare easily.”

Tokunosuke says, “Do you think they’d let me tag along and watch how it’s done?”

“If you come with me,” Vector says, “I can vouch for you, that you’re not just going to oogle them all night. You won’t, right?”

“I swear,” Tokunosuke says, both hands over his chest. He gestures towards his bandages. “Us bleeding ghosts need to stick together, you know!”

“Well, for everyone who’s not going to the earth to haunt it,” Ryoga says, “Can we get a show of hands, who wants to celebrate Obon in the human world?”

Everyone raises their hands.

“There’s going to be a lot of us,” Takashi says, “Will we all be able to ride with the girls?”

Vector laughs. “You’ve never been to the human world, have you?” He smirks. “We’ll fit, trust me.”

 

The night before Obon, Yuma sits down with Akari for a serious discussion.

“I’m going to the human world tomorrow.”

Akari nods. “I am, too.”

Yuma fiddles with the key around his neck, and it sends him a burst of encouragement. Yuma takes a deep breath and says, “I’m…thinking about staying.”

Akari looks sad, but not surprised. “I know you’re not happy with things down here.”

“I’m glad I got a second chance,” Yuma says quietly. “I’m glad both of us did, but it feels like before, when we were human, and when I thought about leaving school. I feel like I don’t fit in here, and it’s because I don’t do things the way people want me to. I’m not sure I can live like this for eternity.”

Akari cups Yuma’s cheeks and smiles at him. “Baby bro, I know. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t see this coming.”

“Are you mad?” Yuma asks, his voice breaking.

Akari hugs him tightly. “No, I’m not. I’m going to miss you, but I’ll be back in the human world soon enough, too. This is going to be your life for eternity, and I want you to be happy. Yuma, are sure this is what you want?” Akari leans back and looks at Yuma seriously. “What about your new friends? What about Astral?”

“That’s why I said I was thinking about it,” Yuma says. “I’ll see how Astral and the other like the human world. Maybe if I bring up staying forever, one of them will…consider it as well, even if they go back to the underworld, even if I go with them, maybe if I plant the seed in their minds, I won’t have to go alone.”

Akari bites her lip. “If you really want to stay in the human world, and none of your friends want to stay with you…then I’ll stay behind with you tomorrow.”

Yuma starts to cry and he rubs his eyes. “You don’t have to, not right now,” he says. “I can be alone for a year, I’ll be okay if that’s the case.”

“I don’t want you to be alone,” Akari says. “But we don’t even know what’s going to happen, yet, so I guess…I guess we’ll have to pick this up again tomorrow night.”

That night, Yuma takes a walk around the city, spending the entire time thinking about how this could very well be the last night he spends in the underworld.

 

Obon begins on August 15th. The spirits of the underworld are released form their duties for three days for the festival—the day of the festival, and the day before and after. On the fourteenth, Yuma and his friends spend the entire day wandering the city, chatting and playing games as they wait for the time to pass. An hour before midnight, they meet Yuzu, Rin, Serena, and Ruri at the main bridge to the human world.

“Good to see all of you!” Yuzu greets, hugging Kotori and Rio.

Ruri points to Vector. “You!”

Vector points to Ruri. “You!”

They high five, and Vector drags Tokunosuke forward. “This is the guy I told you about, he wants to learn about haunting.”

Rin hoots and claps her hands. “Alright, another bloody ghost!” She holds out her hand, and Tokunosuke gives her a high five. “This is going to be great!” Rin says.

“But we’re only haunting until sunup,” Ruri says, “After that we’re meeting Yuzu and Serena for some fun. You two have plans for after that, I assume.”

Vector nods and jerks his head back toward the group. “We’ll meet up with those sentimental fools. They’re going to go stargazing or something.”

Ryoga clears his throat. “So…how do we get out of here?”

Serena laughs and holds up a hand. “Just wait for it, they’ll be here soon.”

Other beings begin to come to the bridge, and soon the area is swarmed with undead. Yuma can feel the anticipation in the crowd, and he puts his hand over the key. Key is excited, too. It’s looking forward to being on an adventure for the first time in many years.

Yuma looks over his shoulder and finds Astral looking at him. Yuma smiles. “Feeling alright?”

Astral nods and smiles back. “It’ll be interesting to see the human world from this perspective. I didn’t see much of it as a fox.”

Yuma reaches back for Astral’s hand. They link their fingers together, and a feeling of contentment settles over Yuma. Whatever he ends up deciding to do tonight, he’s got a feeling he’ll find peace.

After a few moments, the ground begins to shake, and a rumble sounds from the depths of the canyon below the bridge. A glow forms from the dark, and it gets brighter and brighter, until hundreds of thousands of balls of light burst forth from the darkness. A cheer goes up from the undead, and over the din Serena screams, “Catch one!”

The balls of light begin to flit towards the crowd, and Yuma and Astral reach for the same one together.

“It’s okay,” Yuzu calls, and they see her sharing a ball of light with Serena, “It can hold two people.”

“What are these things?” Tetsuo yelps as he clings to one of the lights.

“Onibi!” Rin answers, “We’ll tell you more when we get out of here!”

Yuma straddles the onibi. It’s warm, but not overly so, and definitely solid, and almost unsettlingly smooth. He leans his hands against the surface of whatever it is the onibi is made of, and his hands sink into the warmth. He finds that he can’t pull his hands out and nearly panics.

“It’s okay,” Vector says, floating over to Yuma’s side on his own onibi. “It’s to keep you from falling.”

Astral climbs onto the onibi behind Yuma, wraps one arm around Yuma’s waist, and sinks their other hand into the onibi, alongside Yuma’s. Not long after that, the onibi begin to float up.

“Here we go!” Yuzu screams.

The onibi gain speed and rise higher and higher, over the bridge, ignoring it completely, and shooting straight for the surface of the cavern.

“Can we go this way?” Yuma asks.

“You can on Obon!” Vector laughs.

As the onibi continue to rise, Yuma sees more balls of light beginning to descend from the ceiling. He realizes that these onibi also carry undead.

“They’re the ones that left,” Yuma realizes. “This is the one night they can come back.” He wishes he could get a clear look at the beings that are coming back, but they speed by too fast for his eyes to catch.

As they rise higher and higher, Yuma realizes that he feels cold for the first time since he died. The wind begins to rush in his ears, and he looks up and sees the ceiling approaching at a rapid rate.

“We’re going to crash!” Kotori screams.

“No, we’re not!” Vector hoots.

The cavern ceiling comes flying at Yuma’s face, and he tells himself to keep his eyes open even as he braces for impact. Impact never comes—instead Yuma’s vision goes dark for a second, and then he sees the stars.

Yuma looks around. The onibi have taken Yuma and his friends to what looks like an electric plant. The rest of the onibi are nowhere in sight. The onibi Yuma and Astral are sitting on bucks violently, and they go flying off of it and land on the ground.

Vector laughs. “They’re picky things,” he says, dismounting his onibi gracefully.

“Where is everyone else?” Takashi asks. “There were hundreds of undead!”

Yuzu answers, “They all had somewhere else to go. You have file your desired drop off location with the gods, and we picked this place because it suits all our needs.” She points towards the east, the forest behind the plant. “The ocean is that way, you guys will get a good view of the stars from there.” She points to the west. “Serena and I are going that way. The haunting crew will be heading south, to the city.”

“Remember this place,” Serena says firmly. “And be back here in 24 hours, if you’re going back. The onibi are simple lights, barely intelligent, not the sentient spirits you may have imagined them to be. If you’re late, they won’t wait for you.”

Yuma’s heart races and he gulps. “Thanks for the warning.”

Serena smiles and takes Yuzu’s hand. “Later, guys!”

“We should get going, too,” Ruri says, “Lots to do!”

The haunting group makes their way to the city, and Yuma begins to lead the way to the ocean. Serena didn’t exactly give explicit directions, but Yuma can feel the pull that the ocean has on him—he’s missed it, missed the beach, the smell of fresh, living air, and the stars. He can’t touch the world around him anymore, but he can still see, hear, and smell it.

Kotori suddenly sprints ahead, her arms outstretched, swan wings fluttering at her back. She lets out an overjoyed scream, which casts no echo in the forest, and spins around in a circle.

“It’s so pretty up here!” She cries. “And it smells amazing!”

“That’s the smell of life,” Yuma says wistfully. “I never thought I’d miss a smell, but the underworld is just so…so stagnant.”

“It’s lively if you know where to look,” Ryoga says, “But I know what you mean.”

That gives Yuma pause—it’s true, not all of his friends are former humans, so they may not share his desire to live in the human world. They may not want to step foot in it again after tonight.

The group hears the waves and smell the salt water before they see the ocean. They finally break through the trees after about half an hour’s walk, and Yuma realizes they’re probably on a nature preserve, because there’s no road, no parking lot, and no sign of human presence at all on the beach. There’s just the slope of sandy shore, and the crashing waves beyond that.

Yuma starts to run, wanting only to be in the waves. He tosses his head back and looks up at the sky as he runs—the stars are brighter than he’s ever seen, and there’s only a sliver of the moon that’s visible. Most of the light in the sky comes from the stars themselves. Yuma reaches the water, but he doesn’t get wet, nor do his feet disturb the water at all as he runs deeper into the surf. Yuma flings himself on his back, and he sinks right below the waves, landing soundlessly on the ocean floor, where not a grain of sand moves under his weight. Yuma looks up at the sky through the waves, watching the stars wink in and out of focus as the water fluctuates. Yuma can’t touch the human world physically, but he doesn’t care. He’s back, and it’s the happiest he’s been since he first saw Akari after he died.

“It’s beautiful,” Key whispers to Yuma.

Yuma touches the tips of his fingers to the cool metal. “It is.”

A figure appears in Yuma’s periphery, and he turns his head. Astral is approaching him. He gets to his feet, emerging from the surf completely dry, and smiles at his friend.

“What do you think?” Yuma asks, his voice breaking with unshed tears. Astral holds out their hand, and Yuma takes it.

“It’s beautiful,” Astral says, but they’re looking at Yuma.

Yuma laughs. “Look up at the stars!”

Astral obeys, and begins to cry, too. “I never realized there were so many of them.”

“There are more,” Yuma says, fighting to keep his voice steady. “We can only see a handful of the stars that are up there. There are billions of them, and someday their light will reach the earth…” Yuma gives up trying to speak. He has no idea how long he stands with Astral, holding hands and staring at the sky as the waves crash around them. Eventually Yuma realizes that someone is behind him, and he takes his eyes off the stars long enough to see Kotori standing a few feet away, gazing up at the stars in awe, tears in her eyes as well.

“This is your first time seeing them, isn’t it?” Yuma asks.

Kotori jumps and wipes her eyes, nodding. “They’re so lovely.”

Yuma takes Kotori’s hand, and leads her and Astral back to shore, where the rest of their friends are sprawled out on the sand. Yuma flops down, taking Astral and Kotori with him, and with his hands still linked with those of his two best friends, he points up to the sky.

“I’ll tell you their names,” Yuma says. “Come closer.”

Astral and Kotori move so close, their heads touch Yuma’s, and he points out constellations, planets, and where the different galaxies are, or would be if they could be seen. He talks for hours and he never gets tired, and no one interrupts or talks over him. Everyone listens, everyone sees the beauty in the night sky. Only when Yuma finishes speaking does Cathy ask,

“How do you remember it all?”

“My dad taught me,” Yuma says quietly. “After I died, I didn’t want to forget. I used to close my eyes and replay our conversations. He took me all over the world with him, in all different seasons, so I could see all the views of the night sky, and always know where the stars were no matter where I was.” He starts to cry again. “I don’t think he ever imagined I wouldn’t be able to see the stars.”

Silence falls over the group, and they only speak again when the sun starts to rise, and even then it’s only to affirm that they aren’t ready to leave. They sit up as the sky lightens and the stars disappear, and they sit together to watch the sunrise. Yuma, Kotori, and Rio all end up in tears by the time the sun begins to edge up over the horizon.

“It’s beautiful,” Kotori whispers. “I’ve never seen a pink sky in the underworld.” She turns to Yuma. “I’m jealous of you. I’ve never wished…that I was human before now.”

Yuma laughs. “I never imagined not being around to appreciate all of this. But as the saying goes, you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.”

“Isn’t that the truth,” Vector calls.

The entire group jumps in shock, and they turn to see Vector and Tokunosuke approaching them.

“Alas,” Vector continues, his expression dark, “There can be no beauty without a little ugliness.”

“How did haunting go?” Alit asks.

Tokunosuke shrugs. “It would spoil the mood to talk about it now, we can tell you later if you want.” He claps his hands. “Now, if I’m not mistaken, we have a city and a festival to go enjoy. To Heartland?”

Yuma nods and stands up. “To Heartland!”


	6. The Party Never Dies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twitter user hyuu_ygo drew fanart of Rin for this series! Check it out here :  
> https://twitter.com/hyuu_ygo/status/787563047304978432

The festival is in full swing by the time the group arrives to the city, and it’s not even noon yet. There are traditional performers, playing giant drums, dancing, and showing off martial arts. Stalls sell candies and drinks, elegant fans, and of course, the lanterns.

Yuma stands behind a group of kids as they decorate paper lanterns. He remembers doing this with Akari, and like these kids, they weren’t aware of the true significance of the day. All around, Yuma sees spirits just like himself, who are taking in the sights and sounds of the human world, and go about completely unnoticed by the living. Key is as excited as Yuma is, the tsukumogami chatters in a multitude of languages, and Yuma knows that key isn’t specifically talking to him, just talking in general.

“Hey!” Tetsuo yells, peering into the distance as he towers two stories above the crowds, “There’s a stall down there with food for the spirits!”

The group takes off at a run, passing right through human obstacles as they race down the road. The stall is staffed by an elderly couple who are making fried-dough pastries, and a sign above the stall directs anyone who wishes to make an offering to the spirits to leave it on the open table. The table is already laden down with food and drink, most of it cheap food, but it’s food Yuma hasn’t seen since he died. He reaches for a sakura mochi treat, and as he touches it, an exact copy of the sweet appears, solid and real, in his hand. Anything left on a blessed surface, or placed in an open area by a human with a deceased soul in mind, can be touched by the undead.

“The table’s been blessed,” Yuma says, taking a bite of the treat. Flavor explodes over his tongue and he nearly moans.

Yuma turns to Astral, who eyes the table in awe. Yuma goes back to the mochi and picks up another one. He holds it out to Astral. “Try it.”

Astral’s eyes flick to the sweet, and they open their mouth. Yuma blushes, but feeds the mochi to Astral from his hand, his fingers brushing lightly over Astral’s lips. Astral closes their mouth, and their eyes widen in shock.

“It’s so sweet!”

Yuma feels someone lean over his shoulder. “Get a room,” Vector says in Yuma’s ear.

Yuma aims a kick at Vector’s legs and misses.

“How come no one can see us anymore?” Tokunosuke asks Vector.

“Don’t you pay attention?” Vector scoffs. “First of all, it’s sunny, and we’re not powerful enough to be seen in the daylight. Second of all, we’re here with no purpose. We’re not doing what we were born, or reborn, to do. You’re not creeping up on people, I’m not causing mayhem—yet—and Tetsuo over there isn’t wandering a creepy old road and scaring the bejesus out of old men.”

“Oye, I can do more than that!” Tetsuo blusters.

“It’s kind of refreshing,” Kotori says, munching on a bag of chips. “There’s so much to take in, and since we can pass through people and speak without being heard, we have the freedom to go wherever we want.”

Yuma grins at her. “This isn’t even the best of it. If we had more time, we could go to theme parks, zoos, museums, and go everywhere that we’re normally forbidden to be. Before I knew what I was, that was all I could think about. I could travel the world again, only this time I could go to all the places human had never been. I could go underground and into tombs that hadn’t been excavated yet, I could go into the storerooms of museums…” Yuma frowns. “I can’t do that if I’m chained to an Onmyōji for the rest of my life.”

“Don’t be dramatic,” Takashi scolds, “It wouldn’t be for eternity, you’d get to do all that anyway after you’ve served for a while.”

“A few hundred years,” Yuma counters. “The world changes so fast, half the things I want to see will probably be gone by then.”

“But you could only go up to the human world one day a year,” Kotori says, “How would you do all that?”

The group suddenly falls silent. Yuma looks away. “I would leave the underworld.”

Alit chokes on his drink. Cathy, Tetsuo, Takashi, Ryoga and Rio look shocked, but Vector smiles knowingly.

“I had a feeling that was where you were going,” Vector says. Tokunosuke doesn’t seem surprised either.

Kotori puts her hand on Yuma’s arm. “Are you…coming back with us?”

Yuma sighs and shrugs. “I haven’t decided. I talked to Akari about it…she said she’ll support me no matter what. I just don’t know.”

“You could’ve said something sooner,” Tetsuo says. “This might be the last day we spend with you!”

“Like I said, I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Yuma snaps. “Why would I tell you something I’m not sure of?”

Ryoga steps between them, staring Tetsuo down. “Besides that, Yuma can’t base his opinion on what you, or any of the rest of us think,” He says sharply. “You should know this. You and I, and all those who were born in the underworld, can never know what it’s like to be ripped away from our home.”

Guilt flashes across Tetsuo’s face. “Right,” He says quietly. “Sorry, Yuma.”

“I’m sorry, too,” Yuma says. “It’s not that I didn’t want to say anything, I just…” he runs a hand through his hair, tugging on it in frustration. “I didn’t know how to begin. I know that if I leave the underworld, I may never get to go back, but I had so much left to do in the human world. I feel so robbed.”

“The spirit world is ever changing,” someone says.

None of them recognize the voice, and they look around, but don’t see any spirits nearby. Yuma looks at the elderly couple behind the stall, and realizes that the man is looking right at him.

Yuma points at the man. “You…did you just…can you…?!”

The old man smiles and winks. “Nothing ever lasts forever,” he says, poking at the dough cake he’s currently frying. “It wasn’t so long ago that the boundaries of the underworld and human world were less strict.” The man looks at Vector as he says that, then he turns to his wife. “I wonder if the day will come when spirits will be able to cross between the worlds freely once more?”

The woman hums thoughtfully. “That lovely girl, Yuzu, seems to think so.”

“You know Yuzu?!” Kotori yelps.

The old man places the fried dough snack on a plate on the table. He squints at the sky. “The day is moving along. Not much time left to Obon.”

His wife nods. “I do hope the spirits are making the most of their time here.”

“Guess that’s our cue to scram,” Vector says. He takes off running, and the rest of the group follows. Yuma tries to hang back, but Kotori grabs him and pulls him along.

“What was that about?” Yuma asks when he catches up to the group, at the other end of the road.

Vector looks pale and unsteady. “They’re returnees,” He says. “People who nearly died, but were brought back by CPR or whatever.”

“Are you alright?” Yuma asks, reaching for Vector’s arm.

“Don’t touch me,” Vector snaps. Yuma lets his hand fall.

Rio looks closely at Vector. “Did you know them?”

Vector sits on the edge of the road, arms around his chest. “Not when I was alive,” he mutters. He realizes that everyone is watching him and continues, “When I died I didn’t go to the underworld at first. I was stuck.”

“That can happen?” Yuma asks.

“It certainly can,” says another new voice.

If Yuma wasn’t already dead, he’d probably have a heart attack. He turns around and sees Ruri, her arm linked with that of a teenage boy’s. The boy was the one who spoke.

“Greetings,” Ruri says, smiling. “I’d like for you kids to meet my brother, Shun.”

Shun nods. He grins at Vector. “Good to see you again, kid.”

Vector mutters under his breath.

“We saw you with Shinji and Hana,” Serena says, gesturing in the direction the group just came from. “Shun has a long history with them. And I know that you know them too, Vector.”

“It’s not a time I enjoy thinking about,” Vector says coldly.

“I can imagine,” Shun says. He looks around the group. “It’s a nightmare, being newly dead and not knowing what’s happened to you. No one caring that you’re gone, no one to miss you, filled with anger that you can’t get rid of.”

Vector bolts, quickly getting lost in the crowd.

“Leave him,” Shun says when Yuma makes to follow. “That boy has issues he needs to work out for himself.” Shun’s continues speaking to Yuma, “So, you’re thinking of staying in the human world?”

“How do you know that?” Yuma asks.

“I told him,” Ruri says. “I knew it the second I saw you at the bridge last night. You had that look about you, one I recognized. I thought you might like to talk to someone who’s been in the human world for a while.”

“A while,” Shun says, shaking his head. “Actually, I’ve never been to the underworld.”

The entire group is taken aback.

“Then, what are you?” Ryoga asks.

“A hungry ghost,” Shun answers. “Or at least, that’s the closest thing I can use to describe myself. I’m not an onryo, though I died filled with rage and hatred, and not even the gods could get to me through it. By the time they could, I refused their interference. They could have pressed the issue, forced me into the underworld, but truth be told, there’s not much I can do in the human world, which is what separates me from other onryo. Onryo can, under the right circumstances, be seen and heard by humans. I’m not like that. Even Shinji and Hana have a hard time seeing me, sometimes.”

“So, what do you do in the human world?” Yuma asks.

“I wander,” Shun says. “I watch people. I try to help, when I can. I call upon stronger spirits to try to scare some sense into people, or scare them away from the helpless.” Shun looks in the direction Vector ran off to. “I help the newly dead. The ones like Vector, who deserved better than what they got.” Shun shakes his head. “That poor child. He was utterly lost when I found him, and starving. Did you know that’s how he died? He starved to death.”

“Vector told me he didn’t know how he died,” Yuma says.

“Well, trust me, hunger played a huge role in his death,” Shun says. “I took him to Shinji and Hana, and they offered him food. I think it was the first time anyone had given him a meal in months. Vector had a hard time accepting he was dead, for a while he didn’t want to go to the underworld. He only went when he met with a lower level god and was promised a chance for revenge.” Shun frowns. “Vector told me that he would come to the human world and help me protect kids like himself, who were at the mercy of abusive adults. But I think he lost his way after being reborn. If I had known the gods would make him an Amanojaku…” Shun shakes his head. “The gods can be cruel when they want to be. Vector’s last act when he was alive was to do what he’d always wanted to do and kill his father. I guess that’s why they did it.”

“Why are you telling us this?” Alit asks.

“Because you deserve to know what kind of world you live in,” Shun says. “Because your school can’t prepare you for the truth, and the truth is that the underworld is corrupted and unfair. The human world isn’t much better, but at least here, the undead have a chance to finally do some good, even if it means doing terrible things.”

Ruri looks at Tokunosuke. “You saw this yourself earlier. I’m slowly driving a man to insanity, because I know it’s the only punishment he’ll ever receive for his crimes.”

Shun turns to Yuma. “If you chose to stay in the human world after today, you’ll see a lot. You’ll go around the world and see wonderful things, but you’ll also see people at their worst. You’ll struggle to retain your faith in your fellow humans. Sometimes, even you won’t be able to do anything. What you need to do is remember that the worst thing you can do, is nothing at all. If you try to use your powers to help, but fail, remind yourself that sometimes all you can do is try. Sometimes you’ll get lonely, surrounded by people who can’t see or hear you. You’ll miss being able to feel the wind, the sun…but you’ll find other ways to feel alive.”

Ruri turns to the rest of the group. “And to those of you who are returning to the underworld tonight, know this—you have more influence than you know.” She looks at Ryoga. “You, especially. You’ll be a leader someday, someone the gods will listen to. Look at the world around you, start thinking about how you want to change it. Do me a favor and start by pushing for more freedom to move between the worlds. We may not exist on the same plane, but all worlds share space through the mere act of existing, and we need to understand each other.”

Rio gasps. “Are you not going back?”

Ruri smiles and nods. “That’s correct. I’m staying here. Rin is, too. We feel we’ve learned all we can in the underworld, and it’s time for us to start haunting the earth. But we’re hoping that things will change in the underworld.”

“Hana mentioned Yuzu,” Astral says. “She said that Yuzu seemed to think things would change.”

Ruri nods. “Serena and Yuzu are returning to the underworld. They’re going to take up their posts among their own people soon, and start pushing for change.” Ruri laughs. “I guess we’re leaving the school to you kids, aren’t we?”

“Us?” Alit asks.

Ruri looks over each person in the group. “I know not all of you are thinking about staying in the human world. But I’ve yet to see a more strongly connected group of friends, with such extraordinary powers. You guys are going to become the top students at the school. Do me a favor, would you? Tell the new kids about what you learned today.”

Rio nods, her eyes filled with tears. “We will.”

Ruri smiles, looking relieved. “Well, I’m not sure I’ll be returning to the power plant tonight. So I guess I’ll say goodbye to all of you now.” She bows slightly, and Yuma and his friends return the gesture. “If any of you do stay, I’m sure I’ll be seeing you soon,” Ruri says, winking at Yuma. “Enjoy the rest of the festival.”

When Ruri and Shun leave, the group stays where they are, each lost in their own thoughts. They all sit on the ground, and they only become aware of how much time has passed when Vector returns.

“Oye!” Vector yells, startling them all, “Did you all want to watch the lanterns or what? The sun’s setting, you know.”

They didn’t know.

“Should we go?” Ryoga asks. “Does anyone feel like it anymore?”

“I do,” Astral says. “Shun did say there was still beauty in the world. I would like to see it.”

“I agree,” Yuma says.

Slowly, everyone gets to their feet, rather everyone except Kotori.

“You okay?” Cathy asks her.

Kotori shakes her head. “All this time all I ever wanted to do was dance in the court of the gods,” she says. “Now all I want is to stay as far away from them as possible.”

“You can’t throw away your dreams based just on today,” Yuma says quickly.

“But it’s not just today,” Kotori says tearfully. “The signs were all there, I just didn’t acknowledge them. And being here, seeing everything I missed, having all the stuff I ignored put in front of me…” Kotori buries her face in her hands. “I don’t want to go back.”

“Are you sure?” Yuma asks, his heart racing.

Kotori nods. “I am. I don’t know what kind of life I’ll have here, but I want to stay in the human world.” She takes a deep breath. “But I think…I think it’ll have to wait until next year. I didn’t prepare to leave, and there are things I’ll have to do.” She looks up at Yuma. “Next year, will you meet me here? Can I wander the earth with you and Astral?”

“I didn’t say I was staying,” Astral says.

“You are, though, aren’t you?” Kotori asks. “You knew you would since you walked into the ocean with Yuma.”

Astral blushes and clears his throat. “I suppose that’s true.”

Yuma gasps. “Really? You want to stay with me?”

Astral nods. “I do. I want to see the world the way you see it, and I want to see it with you, and…”

“Kiss him for god’s sake, while we’re still undead!” Vector screams.

Yuma and Astral laugh sheepishly.

“They’re not going to do it if we’re all staring,” Rio says. “Let’s get down to the river before we miss the lanterns.”

So the group begins to walk. Astral and Yuma hang back, and when they’re sure no one is looking, they share a brief, but wonderful, kiss.

 

The crowds of humans gather on the banks of the river, and unseen to them, spirits of the undead stand in the shallow water and face the living. Yuma and Astral squeeze into a spot next to Kotori, and soon silence falls over the crowd of living and dead. Some humans bow their heads, some look to the stars. Some seem to be praying. Some of the undead cry. Some seem amused. Yuma isn’t sure what he feels, but he thinks it’s a peaceful feeling. For the moment, he’s not thinking about his next move. All he does is watch the lanterns.

One by one, the humans move to the edge of the river and place their lanterns on the surface of the water. The current catches the, and the lanterns begin to float. More and more lanterns alight on the surface of the water, and as they float by, they illuminate each of the undead watching. Yuma reaches out to touch a nearby lantern, and while it doesn’t move under his touch, he can feel the warmth from the candle inside.

Someone touched Yuma’s shoulder and he looks around. “How did you find me?”

Akari stands by Yuma’s side and takes his hand. “Learn to be a proper Shikigame and you’ll find out.” Yuma sticks his tongue out at her.

Akari and Yuma return to watching the lanterns in silence. Eventually the mass of lights floats away, and only a few lanterns continue to float past. The living people on the river bank begin to move away, and the undead do too, save for a few, including Yuma and his group of friends.

Akari asks, “So are you staying here?”

Yuma nods. “I am. But I’m not going to be alone, Astral will be staying with me.”

“Oh really?” Akari asks with a knowing grin. “I was wondering.”

Yuma blushes, and he clears his throat. “This is a big change of subject but…do you know where our bodies are?” He asks.

Akari shivers. “I’ve never looked,” She says quietly.

Yuma blinks back tears. “I wonder if I miss the earth so much because…because I’m not resting properly. I wonder if we weren’t buried.” He snorts. “No one had a memorial service for us, that’s for sure.”

“That’s what this is for,” Akari reminds him. “They may not know our names, but they know that there are people who don’t get buried with great ceremony.”

Astral has been quiet, but they turn to Yuma and say, “If I had been human, or if I had known you when you died, I would have done this for you. I would have missed you terribly. Did you have friends?”

“We did,” Yuma says.

Astral smiles. “Then I’m sure they did do something to honor your memory. Maybe you just haven’t yet learned what it is.”

“Wouldn’t I have felt it, though?” Yuma asks.

A nearby spirit turns to the three of them. “Not all do,” she says sadly. “Some of us go to the underworld thinking that no one has honored us, and we only learn later that we are missed.”

Tears slip down Yuma’s cheeks. “That’s not fair.”

Akari hugs him. “I know, baby bro,” she says. “I wish I knew how to fix it.”

“That’s what we’re going to do,” Ryoga says.

Yuma and Akari leans away from each other. “You are?” Akari asks.

Rio slings her arm around Ryoga’s shoulders. “Coming here really opened our eyes to the realities of undeath,” she says. “Plus we kind of promised Ruri that we’d try to change things.”

Akari laughs. “Oh boy, well then that’s a promise you better keep, isn’t it?”

Kotori moves to stand next to Akari. “Are you going back to the underworld?”

“I am,” Akari confirms, “For a few months, to wrap up my education, then I’ll return to Earth.”

Kotori bites her lip. “Do you think I could come with you, when you leave? If I decide not to wait a year?”

“You’re leaving?” Akari asks, surprised.

Kotori nods. “I realize that I can’t serve the gods, knowing what I know about them now. I think…I want to see the world, I want to learn about it and see what it is that humans miss when they leave it. No undead has ever undertaken such a study, that I know of. Maybe I’ll write about it and make a book, and in a few years on Obon, I’ll take my experiences back to the underworld and share them with the other non-human creatures.”

“That’s quite an undertaking,” Akari says, sounding impressed.

“I think it’s a great idea!” Yuma says. “I can’t wait to help you with it.”

“You really will?” Kotori asks.

“Sure thing,” Yuma says. “I’m about to have a lot of time on my hands, after all.”

“We are,” Astral corrects.

“We are,” Yuma agrees, blushing slightly.

“Alright lovebirds, you’re making me ill,” Vector says, wrinkling his nose. “So I think I’m going to take off.”

“Take off?” Tokunosuke says, “Where to?”

Vector smiles and holds out his arms. “To wherever the hell I feel like!”

“You’re not going back?” Yuma asks.

Vector waves his hand. “Nah. I’m done with the underworld, I’m ready to start causing trouble.”

“Start?” Alit asks with a snort. Vector flips him off.

Yuma laughs, and hopes no one notices how teary he is, suddenly. “I’ll miss you, Vector.”

Vector’s smile flickers. “Hey, no crying over me, you got that? It’s not like I’m dying, you know.”

Yuma laughs again, and though Vector told him not to, he does start crying. “I’ll see you again, right?” Yuma asks. “We are friends still, right?”

Vector rolls his eyes and hugs Yuma. “Sure, we’re friends.”

Yuma sniffles and says quietly, “Don’t let anyone ever make you think you’re not wanted.”

“And don’t you dare lose your spark of life,” Vector says, equally quiet. He leans back, kisses Yuma on both cheeks, and waves to the rest of the group. “See you next Obon!” Vector calls to them. And he takes off at a run, cackling loud enough to make several humans look around in shock.

“What a trouble maker,” Alit says fondly. “I’ll miss him.”

“I won’t,” Ryoga says.

“Yeah,” Yuma says, “You will.”

The group walks back to the shore. Since midnight is still a few hours off, they go back to the main celebration. A parade has started, and some undead dance among the living. A few remain invisible to the human eye, but some flicker between visible and not. It’s enough where a human could pass them off a shadow, a flickering movement in torchlight, but the watching undead know better.

Yuma grabs Tetsuo and Kotori by their hands. “Come on,” He cries, “Let’s dance!”

His friends follow him into the crowd. Kotori wears her swan wings, and she twirls and leaps with the grace of the swan she was born to be. Yuma and Tetsuo can’t dance like her, but they enjoy trying. Soon Astral and Akari join them, and Rio drags Ryoga and Alit along, and Cathy, Takashi, and Tokunosuke join in, as well. They dance until they’re breathless, and they collapse on the side of the road, legs aching, but laughing happily.

Tetsuo wraps his arm around Yuma’s shoulders. “I’ll miss you, buddy.”

Yuma smiles at his friend. “I’ll miss you, too. But I know this won’t be the last we see of each other.”

Time has passed so quickly, and it’s time for the undead to return to the underworld.

 

The walk through the forest seems shorter, now. The electrical plant emerges from the woods, and Yuzu and Serena are already waiting.

“I see you’ve already lost one,” Serena says. “And I hear rumors that you’re losing one more.”

“Two more,” Astral corrects, taking Yuma’s hand.

“You beat us, then,” Yuzu says, smiling sadly.

Kotori looks tearfully at Yuzu. “Are you and Serena really graduating soon?”

Yuzu nods. “Very soon. It’s time we start using our authority to try for change.”

Rio looks tearful, too. “I wish we had spoken to you sooner.”

“Dear ones, I will always think of you as my friends,” Yuzu says, holding out her arms. Rio and Kotori hug her, and they hug Serena, too.

Yuzu turns to Astral and Yuma. “Are you sure about this?”

They both nod. “We’ll stay together,” Yuma says, “So at least we won’t be alone.”

“And I’m coming back soon,” Akari adds, pinching Yuma’s cheek, “So I can keep an eye on them.”

“Thank goodness for that,” Serena says, looking appraisingly at Astral. “A young Kitsune and an untrained Shikigame…you two could get up to so much trouble.”

“Who are you calling untrained?!” Yuma cries, but the arrival of the onibi keeps Serena from answering. They rise from the ground and float towards the undead.

“It’s time to go,” Serena says.

Kotori flings herself at Yuma and hugs him tightly. “I’ll see you soon,” she says, her voice choked with tears.

Yuma hugs her, then Tetsuo, and then all of his friends. They all shed tears, but they tell Yuma and Astral that they know the two of them will be happier on Earth. Yuma hugs Akari last, and holds her for so long that Yuzu needs to remind them that if they don’t leave soon, they can’t leave at all.

“Look out for each other,” Akari calls to Astral and Yuma as she climbs on the onibi. “I love you, Yuma!”

“I love you too,” Yuma calls, “I love all of you!”

The onibi rise and start to float in circles. A rush of wind drowns out the final goodbyes from Yuma’s friends, and then the onibi rush towards the ground. Silence falls over the forest.

Yuma grabs Astral’s hand. He feels something, like a heavy weight sinking over him. Not sadness, or longing, though he definitely feels both of those things, but a physical weight.

“Can you feel that?” Yuma asks.

Astral reaches for a tree, and their arm goes through it. “Strange,” they say. “I felt…physical, for a moment.”

“This must mean that we’re really here,” Yuma says, gazing at his hand. “We really did it. We left the underworld.” For a moment, the two stand in silence. Yuma rests his hand over Key, and it sends him a wave of encouragement. Yuma turns to Astral. “Any regrets?” He asks quietly.

Astral leans forward and kisses Yuma’s lips, the gentlest press of their mouths together. “I only regret not doing that sooner,” Astral says.

Yuma grins, and his sadness at saying goodbye fades. “We can go anywhere we want,” he says, the knowledge of his freedom resonating within him. “We can do whatever we want!” He laughs, and he flings his arms around Astral’s neck. “Astral, where should we go?!”

Astral wraps their arms around Yuma’s waist and speaks into the crook of Yuma’s neck. “I want to go back to the ocean,” they say. “Can we, Yuma? Can we watch the stars and the sunrise again?”

“I think that sounds like a great idea,” Yuma says. Against his chest, Yuma feels Key physically tremble in excitement. Adventure awaits them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next is the epilogue!


	7. Epilogue: We’ve Got Spirits, How About You?

Yuma and Astral are in the mountains, a dense, green forest that blocks even the sunlight. Birds, deer, and small rodents pass by them, and even through them, sometimes. This is where Astral reached their 100 years of age.

“It’s lovely,” Yuma says for the hundredth time.

“It is,” Astral answers. “Better now that I’m seeing it with you.”

Yuma blushes and takes Astral’s hand. “Did you miss it?”

Astral looks thoughtful. “Sometimes,” they answer. “I missed the trees, they made me feel safe. I missed the smell of the dirt after it rained. I didn’t miss the dark.”

Yuma looks towards the sky, blocked by the thick foliage. “I see how you didn’t see the stars.”

“I didn’t know what I was missing,” Astral says quietly. “As much as I missed this place, I’m glad I don’t have to stay here anymore. I’d rather be with you.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” says Akari.

Yuma and Astral turn towards her voice. She’s only a few feet away, and Kotori is with her. Yuma lets out a scream of delight and rushes towards them. He crashes into his sister and reaches for Kotori, tears streaming down his face.

“I didn’t expect this!” Yuma cries.

“Of course not!” Akari shouts, “We wanted to surprise you!” She holds Yuma in one arm and extends her other to Astral. “Come here, you!”

Astral hugs her. Yuma is still sobbing, so Astral asks, “How did you know where we were?”

“We didn’t,” Kotori says, “Akari told the onibi to take us to you, and she told me to picture both of you in my mind. She said that they would find you.”

“It pays to study,” Akari says, ruffling Yuma’s hair.

Yuma sniffles and wipes his eyes. “I missed you,” he says.

“I missed you too, baby bro,” Akari says.

“How long has it been?” Astral asks. At Akarai and Kotori’s looks they explain, “We don’t keep track.”

“Four months,” Kotori answers.

It felt both longer, and shorter at the same time.

“How are you?” Akari asks. “You look well, have you been exploring?”

Yuma tells her and Kotori about the time they spent at the shore, about the walk they took below the waves and the coral reefs they explored. They met up with Vector and the three of them went on a cruise ship to a bunch of islands, they swam with sting rays and sharks, and then Yuma and Astral said goodbye to Vector, and began to hike inland until they got this spot.

“My home,” Astral says.

“It’s beautiful,” Kotori says. “It sounds like you’ve had an amazing time.”

“And now we get to share it with both of you!” Yuma cries. “Or, at least, with you, Kotori.”

“Is it still okay?” Kotori asks, looking between Yuma and Astral.

“Of course,” Astral says warmly, holding out his hand. Kotori takes it.

“I’ll be around,” Akari says, patting Yuma’s cheek. “I’ll pop up when you least expect it, so be careful about what you’re doing and how clothed or unclothed you are.”

“AKARI!” Yuma shrieks. Astral and Kotori laugh. Yuma turns from Akari, a blush on his cheeks. “So how is everyone?” He asks Kotori.

“Doing well,” Kotori says. “They can’t wait for Obon, I think a few more people might join us. Tetsuo is studying his ass off, so are Tokunosuke and Cathy. Ryoga has gone to a few meetings with Serena and Yuzu, there have been rumors of change.”

“That’s amazing!” Yuma says. “Tell me all about it!”

“I will,” Kotori says, “But first…can we go to the city?”

Yuma looks at Astral, and they nod. “I’ve seen what I need to see.”

“Are you sure?” Kotori asks.

Astral nods again. “I know, you want to see the sky.”

Kotori smiles, then she gasps. “Astral, you’re wearing Key!”

Astral looks down and touches the pendant. “Yeah, Yuma and I switch now. It wanted to see my favorite home with me.” Astral lifts the cord over his neck. “It wants to say hello to you.”

Kotori bows her head and Astral loops the cord around her neck. Kotori smiles down at Key. “Hi again,” she says. “How have you been?”

The four of them begin the walk out of the forest. Kotori and Akari tell Yuma and Astral more about the Underworld, how Serena and Yuzu are taking over the hearts of leaders everywhere, how Ryoga and Rio are now the ones striking awe into the hearts of new students, how Cathy and Anna are number one in haunting classes. As the group draws near to the edge of the forest, Kotori stops talking and turns to Yuma and Astral.

“I learned something,” she says. “On Earth, I don’t need to carry a pair of swan wings.”

“Then where are your wings?” Yuma asks.

Kotori closes her eyes and whispers an incantation, and a beautiful pair of white wings unfolds from her back. She twirls to show them off. “I have to cut slits in all my shirts, but it’s so much more convenient than carrying wings around, or having to turn into a full-blown swan.” She smiles widely. “And I’m gone!” She cries, and she takes off at a run, out of the forest.

“Bless her,” Astral says fondly.

Akari squeezes Yuma’s shoulder. “You sure you’re okay with her joining the two of you? I don’t want her feeling like a third wheel.”

Yuma and Astral look at each other. Yuma says, “Well, we’ve got a long, long time ahead of us to be in love. We’re taking this slowly, one day at a time, figuring out what exactly it is that we want. Forever is…daunting. We did talk about this, and having Kotori around will probably be healthier for us.”

Akari smiles. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I’m proud of you, Yuma.”

“Even though I’m not a proper Shikigami?” Yuma asks.

“It’s overrated,” Akari says, waving her hand. “I’d rather you be a good soul than a good Shikigami.”

Yuma feels like he might cry, until he hears Kotori let out a whoop of pure joy. He, Astral, and Akari jog ahead, and when they leave to forest, they look up and see Kotori doing cartwheels in the sky.

“It’s beautiful!” Kotori shouts. Yuma can tell that she’s crying, and he gets a running start and jumps as high as he can. He can’t fly, but he can float.

Yuma soars through the air, up to Kotori. He holds out his hand for a high five. Kotori foregoes it and hugs Yuma tightly. “I love this place!” She shouts in Yuma’s ear.

Together, they float back down to the ground. Kotori wipes tears from her cheeks, and Astral ruffles her hair and tells her that the fun is just getting started.

“You ready for an adventure?” Astral asks her.

Kotori nods. “So ready!”

“I’ve got a few days until I need to report for full time duty,” Akari says, “Mind if I join you guys until then?”

“Not at all!” The three of them shout.

“So, where to?” Akari asks.

Yuma, Astral, and Kotori all grin at each other. “The beach,” they say.

It is, after all, the place where they all fell in love with the human world. It’s only fitting that their joint adventure begin there.

Akari laughs. “You three are going to get along well, I see.”

Yuma links one arm with Astral’s and the other with Kotori’s. “Of course we will,” he says. “We’re best friends.”

Best friends, literally, until the end of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next part of this series will focus on the origins of Serena, Yuzu, Rin, and Ruri and will not include the Zexal characters, but I hope you’ll all check it out anyway! I’ll be posting it within the next few days ^^


End file.
